The Bells of Norwich

All Saints, Westlegate
(now a Christian Multi-purpose Drop-in Centre)

All Saints, Westlegate
(Photo by Andrew Stevens)

Western tower containing a ring of 6 bells, tenor 5-2-16 in B, plus disused bell (former 3/5) on display in church.

Inscriptions

Treble

J TAYLOR & C^O. FOUNDERS LOUGHBOROUGH. 1869.

2nd

crown: 243
inscription band: + Cantate Domino Canticum Novum / Laus Eius In Ecclesia Sanctorum
waist: (a) A.D.MDCCCXIV / (b) ('T'-shaped Taylor mark)

3rd

crown: 298
inscription band: (leaf border) TO THE GLORY OF GOD, / GIVEN TO THE CHVRCH OF ALL SAINTS / BY JOHN TVRNER HOTBLACK SOMETIME PATRON . A.D. 1914
waist: ('T'-shaped Taylor mark)

4th

inscription band: (grapevine border)
waist: (a) ALAN HUGHES MADE ME / THE N.D.A. GAVE ME / A.M.D.G. / (b) 20(W)01 / WHITECHAPEL

5th

crown: (four shields)
inscription band: + Gallus . Vocor . Ego . Solus . Super . Omnia . Sono

Tenor

inscription band: + O MAGDALENA : DUC : NOS : AD GAUDIA : PLENA :

Disused (old 3/5)

inscription band: IOHN BREND MADE ME 1647

The inscription band of the disused bell
(photo by Jonathan Dickenson)

Bells, Framework and Fittings

The treble, 5th, tenor and disused bell retain their canons, which are all of traditional layout. Those to the treble are angular, those to the 5th plain and those to the tenor and disused bell moulded. The remaining bells were cast without canons.

The back five hang in a cast iron lowside frame, by Taylor's 1914, and the treble hangs in an independent fabricated steel frame situated in the centre of the tower above the other bells. This additional frame was built and installed by Tony Baines of Diss, who augmented the bells to six in 2001.

The treble, 5th and tenor are fitted with fabricated steel hoop-type canon retaining headstocks by Tony Baines, the 2nd has a Taylor bar headstock of 1914, the 3rd a cast iron Taylor stock of the same year (with new gudgeons fitted by Tony Baines in 2001) and the 4th has a cast iron Whitechapel stock. All of the bells swing in ball bearings, and all have traditional wheels (with that to the treble appearing to be second-hand, and the others no doubt by Taylor's 1914), and all have traditional stays and sliders with the exception of the 2nd which has a Hastings stay and radius slide.

The 2nd, with its bar headstock
(photo by David Bryant)

History

In 1914 Taylor’s rehung the then three bells in a new cast iron low-side 5-bell frame, and augmented them to five. The back three were fitted with timber stocks and plate gudgeons, the 2nd had a cast iron stock and the treble had a wrought iron bar stock. All five had wick-type plain bearings, traditional wheels, stays and sliders (apart from the treble which had a Hastings stay and runner bar). The 1914 rehanging of the bells was carried out following the rebuilding of the top stage of the tower. Prior to this the bells (then, as already mentioned, numbering only three) had been hung between four massive parallel beams.

Between 1938 and 1973 the bells were not rung due to fears that the tower was unsafe and that there was an unexploded bomb in the churchyard. In 1973 both of these myths were proven to be unfounded, and work to make the bells ringable again was carried out by Rev'd David Cawley, Rev'd Peter Bond and Martin Cubitt. The first peal after the bells becoming usable again was rung in February of the following year.

The bells were augmented to 6 in 2001. An additional independent fabricated steel low-side 1-bell frame (by Tony Baines of Diss) was installed above the 5-bell frame to contain the treble. Whitechapel cast a new 4th bell (a replacement for the old 3rd), to convert the ring from a minor into a major key. A second-hand bell from Hutton Gate Farm, Northumberland was obtained for use as the treble of six. This was obtained from the Keltek Trust, which had obtained it via a Northumberland antique dealer (Ex. Inf. Dave Kelly). Prior to tuning at Whitechapel it weighed 2-2-9. All six bells were fitted with ball bearings, and new headstocks were provided for the treble, 4th, 5th and tenor. The remaining two headstocks were reused, although new gudgeons were fitted to that of the 2nd. The five existing wheels were also reused, and a second-hand wheel provided for the new treble. The hanging work, which involved removing, sandblasting and painting the existing frame, was carried out by Tony Baines of Diss. The work was completed and the bells dedicated in November 2001.

(left) the treble and (right) the 4th
(photos by David Bryant)

The disused bell retained on display in the church is the predecessor of present 4^th. It has been cleaned and its headstock has been removed; at the time of my visit this was on the ringing gallery. As already mentioned, the bell was replaced to convert the ring into a major key.

All Saints is the home of the University of East Anglia Bellringing Society, and although the church is no longer used liturgically (it now houses a Christian Centre), the bells are sometimes rung for services at the nearby church of St John, Timberhill.

The dismantled bells during rehanging. (left) the 2nd of six (right) the 3rd of six, centre
(photos by Jonathan Dickenson)

Inspected 18th December 2002.

Sources

L'Estrange p.170
Thurlow (1st ed) p.277, (2nd ed) p.45
RW 21/28/12/2001, pp.1267/8, 1277-9
UEA Bellringing Society website

Last Updated 15th April 2005